Rockhampton sprinter breaks long-standing course record

Master Jamie is likely to head south for his next start in the $125K Weetwood Handicap (1200m) in Toowoomba later this month.

Master Jamie (J: Chris Whiteley, T: G R Green) takes first place at the 1200m R4 Iron Jack Hop at Callaghan Park. Picture: Jann Houley

FRIDAY’S record-breaking Rockhampton sprinter Master Jamie is likely to head south for his next start in the time honoured $125K Weetwood Handicap (1200m) in Toowoomba on September 26.

Master Jamie left no doubt that he had bounced back from his last two out of character unplaced runs with an all-the-way win in the $18K Open Handicap (1050m) at Callaghan Park.

Ridden for the first time by an apprentice jockey, Marnu Potgieter made the most of his opportunity rating Master Jamie ($1.75) perfectly in front before booting away over the final and crucial 100 metres.

It was 2.5 lengths win for the pair from Garnett Taylor trained Bold Xavvi (Ron Stewart, $3.40) with District (Wendy Peel, $14.00) a length back third.

The win however took on exciting significance when the time was semaphored as 59.13 seconds which shattered the long-standing previous course record of 59.37 run by Say I Won’t in 2014.

Despite the official result sheets from Racing Australia recording that Master Jamie’s winning time of 59.13 seconds was manually timed, Rockhampton Jockey Club CEO Tony Fenlon said on Sunday night that was not the case.

“There was a problem with the timing mechanism during Friday’s meeting, but I am 100 per cent certain it was working for the fourth race won by Master Jamie which means the race was electronically time”, Fenlon confirmed.

Race records are not recognised on manual timing so Master Jamie is now the definite record holder for the 1050 metres distance.

Buoyed by the success, immediately after the race trainer and part-owner, Rockhampton’s Graeme Green announced the Weetwood plan.

“At this stage providing all goes well in the wash up from today’s race, he will probably head down for the Weetwood. That’s the thought at the moment”, Green said.

It was a case of multiple wins all round last Friday.

Back home and landing a winning double was former Rockhampton premiership trainer, the now Sunshine Coast trainer Tom Button.

His Love Conquers All gelding Rollwiththeflow (Justin Stanley, $2.40) romped home over stablemate The Silver Lady (Jake Bayliss, $8.50) in the $30K QTIS 3YO Handicap (1100m).

Both youngsters are raced in the main by a large group of Central Queenslander’s who shared the spoils of the $28K prize money earned.

It got even better fo the almost identical list of owners later during the card when Wicked Style (USA) gelding Flying Crackerback (Stanley, $3.70) scored an exciting win in the $18K Class 1 (1100m).

Stanley went “two up “on Button, making it four winners for the afternoon when the Clinton Taylor trained Nailed It Nan ($5.00) made it three wins “on the trot’’ by taking out the BM 58 Handicap (1300m).

Earlier, Justin had also won on Rocky trainer Shane Sigvart’s highly talented Foxwedge mare Chezblack ($1.80) which produced an exciting turn of foot from near last into the straight to win the Class 5 Plate (1050m).

It was a case of last out but first home when Snippetson seven-years-old gelding Fun Tickets (Adam Sewell, $14.00) won the Class 6 (1300m) for trainer Ricky Vale.

With punters, Vale’s second leg of a winning double the race favourite Stubai (Ron Stewart, $2.25) was much more popular when an easy 2.8 lengths victor in the Class 3 Plate (1600m).

Chris Attard was elated after the latest of the ARES Australian Racing’s colours bearer in Sizzling gelding Kefalonia (Zoe White, $2.45) led throughout to defeat ever-honest Dip Dye in the Maiden (1100m).

With the Callaghan Park turf track undergoing a make-over during September, the RJC will stage a TAB race meeting at Keppel Park, Yeppoon on Tuesday, September 15.

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